Wearing apparel conveyer



B. HANDLER WEARING APPAREL CONVEYER Nov. 13,- 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet l Fi led Jan. 2, 1947 j/V'VENTOR aw My JQTTOENZY Nov. 13, 1951 B. HANDLER 2,574,827

WEARINQ APPAREL CONVEYER Filed Jan. 2, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet 2 i I If m. i a

JNVEZV'TOE at m ATTORNEY Nov. 13, 1951' Filed Jan. 2, 1947 In 3 Q 3 Sheet-Sheet 3 ATTORNEY" Patented Nov. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT 'QF mesne' assignments, to, Arthur Imerman Undergarment 00., Inc.,-- a corporation of New Jersey Application January 2, 1947, Serial No. 719,792,

' 7' Claims. 1

This invention relates to apparatus for use in examining various articles of wearing apparel for defects or poor workmanship or for use in removing or trimming from the articles loose ends of threads, bindings, etc., in the operations of inspecting and finishing the articles. The primary object 'of the invention is the provision of apparatus which is well adapted to facilitate the inspecting and'trimming operations and to reduce the time and labor required for those purposes. I Another object is the provision of means for holding or supporting the articles in positions in which the articles can be quickly and easily in spected and trimmed, thus relieving the operaquently described herein, are carried by the con:

veyoran'd are movable thereby longitudinally of the bench ill from one end thereof, at which garments are placed on said supporting means in succession, to the opposite or delivery end from which the garments are removed. In the course of travel of said article-supporting means from one end of the bench to'the other, the articles are examined and are trimmed to remove loose. thread ends, tape ends, etc., 'a'motor-operated" cutter held in the operators hand being prefertors from the burden of holding and handling.

the articles in order to perform these operations.

A further object is to provide for convenient adjustment of the article sup'porting meansfor articles of difierent sizes so that the same apparatus may be used for articles of various sizes.

A yet further object of the invention is to. provide apparatus of the character designated above with means automatically operable to deliver the inspected and trimmed articles in such positions in which they may be easilyfolded in the operation of removing them from their supports or holders. I

The above and objects, features and advantages of the invention will be fully understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawingswhic'h are to be considered as illustrative of the invention but not in limitation thereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of ing the present invention; v

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 'of Fig. 1, and the base of one of the garment supports being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a longtiudinal sectional view of the apparatus on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail sectional views on the lines 4-4 and 5-5, respectively, of Fig. 1;- w

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of agarment support on the line 66 of Fig. 2. l I

apparatus embody- Referring now to thedrawingsin detail, the

apparatus comprises a work bench H] at which several operators may be positioned side by side for performing the examiningand/or trimming operations. Said bench also provides a supporting frame for an endless conveyor I2 which, as here shown is preferably of the horizontal end less-belt type. A plurality of article-supporting means l4, which are of theconstruction subse ably used for thispur'pose' I The conveyor comprises a fiat endless belt I6 engaging'the driving pulley I8 and the pulley 20 which is at the delivery end of the conveyor. The belt-driving pulley i8 is fixed to a rotary shaft 2| which is power actuated. Said shaft is journalled for rotation in bearings 22 which are' preferably adjustably movable longitudinally of the belt'in brackets 24 for adjusting thelongitudinal tension or tautness of the belt, the bear ing adjustingscrew members being indicated at 26. Pulley 20 is' fixed to a rotary shaft 28 which is journalledfo'r rotation in bearings provided in brackets or shaft supports 30; The top of the bench' Hl'h'as a longitudinally extending opening 32 which is defined by the lat-' erally spaced longitudinal channel rails 34, the upper surfaces of which are preferably flush with the top of the bench. Similar channelrails 36 are mounted .in the benchfrarne below the top thereof. Rails 34 and SB'are'suppOrtedin vertically spaced relation, at longitudinally spaced points by cross frame members 38 and 40. Companion cross bars 42 and 44 are secured by bolts 46 or in any other suitable way to belt l6 in sets spaced longitudinally of the belt, there being a set of such bars for each article-support or holder l4.. Bars .42 and 44 are disposed trans-.- versely of the belt and project laterally therefrom at, both of the side edges of the belt. The projecting portions of said bars are slidable in the channels of rails 34 and 36 for guiding the belt in its movement and for supporting the belt and the load carried thereby. The rails 34"and 36 are provided with curved members 48 and 50; respectiv-ely, for guiding the companion bars 42, 44 into said rails, respectively, during the belt movement iromleft to right viewing Fig. 1. H As will presently appear bars 42 provide means for securing the article-supporting means or holders [4 to belt l6. The article holders l4 comprise open frames'on which the "garments, indicated indotted lines'at G in Fig. 3, are placed for inspection and. for sup-L 3 porting the garment for the trimming operation. As here shown, each holder comprises a base which includes a flat bar or rod 52 provided with longitudinal slots 54. For a purpose which will hereinafter clearly appear, the frame is mounted for turning movement about a vertical axis. Said mounting comprises a pivot pin 56 which is secured to a companion bar 42 and passes through a circular bearing opening 58 in a bearing block 60 which is fixed to the frame base-bar 52. Said pivot pin projects through an opening 62 in bar 52 and is provided at its outer end with a head i here shown as a washer 64 held by a cotter pin 66. A spring 68 surrounds pin 56 and bears against said head thereof and against base-bar 52, thus holding the frame resiliently in position on bar 42 for pivotal movement about the axis of said pin. A washer II is disposed between bar 42 and block 60 Springs 68 prevent loose turning movement of the frames and hold them releasably in the positions in which they are turned.

The open frames of the article-holders I4 are adjustable so that garments of different sizes may be mounted thereon in optimum or spread condition for inspection and for the trimming operation. Each open frame comprises the laterally spaced vertical members 10 and 12 havin their lower ends adjustably secured in a companion slot 54 of base-bar 52 by the nuts 14 and 16, the latter being preferably a wing nut and Washers 18 are provided as shown. The frame members 10 and 12 have companion members 89 and 82 associated therewith, the latter being threaded into bar 52 and block 60 as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Lock nuts 84 are provided as indicated. Members 80 and 82 are provided at their upper ends with lateral tubular parts 96 in which the lateral parts 88 at the upper ends of the frame members I and 12, are respectively received in adjustable sliding relation therein. It will be noted that parts 86 form the top of the frame and that members It! and 12 form the sides of the frame, and it will be understood that when a garment is placed on the frame, members and 12 having been adjusted laterally of each other in respect to the space therebetween, for the particular size of the garment, hold the latter in laterally distended condition. Further, it will be understood that when the garment is thus held on the frame, light may pass therethrough so that it may be thoroughly examined for defects or poor workmanship, and at the same time loose ends of threads or of binding tapes, etc., may be readily located so that they may be cut off. In

Fig. 3, the garment G is indicated as a bifurcated undergarment, for example a panti-garment, but it will be understood that other garments may be placed on the frame for inspection and trimming. Also, it will be noted that when the frames with the garments arrive in succession at the delivery end of the conveyor, they may be readily removed from their respective frames by slippingthem off said frames.

The removal of the garments from the frames, at the delivery end of the conveyor, is facilitated by the pivotal mounting of the frames and by means provided in the apparatus, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated, for automatically turning each frame from a position in which the frame is disposed in a vertical plane extending in the direction of belt movement, 1. e., longitudinally of the belt, to a position in which the frame is disposed in a plane extending transversely of the belt'and in a horizontal plane as indicated at B in Fig. 3,

and for thus turning said frames, the apparatus is provided with suitable means which as here shown comprises a frame-turning member 90 which is fastened at one end thereof to the top of the bench I0 as indicated at 92 and which has a part 94 extending transversely of the path of travel of the frames for engagement by the bent rods 96 which are fixed to and project from the blocks 60 of the companion frame bases respectively. The part 94 is inclined in the direction of travel of the frames and is cleared by pin 96 at the end'of a frame-turning movement of about 90. Following the turning of the frame to its position transversely of the belt, the continued travel of the belt carries the turned frame over pulley 20 to the horizontal frame-position, indicated at B, at the delivery end of the apparatus.

The frames thus turned in succession continue to travel while the garments are removed therefrom at the delivery end and thereafter travel with the lower run of the belt in the reverse direction, i. e., toward the opposite end of the conveyor, and during such reverse travel said frames remain in their positions transversely of the belt. However, when the frames reach the upper run position of the belt they are turned to restore them to their'positions in planes disposed longitudinally of the belt; For this purpose frameturning means is provided on the top of bench I0. Said frame-turning means is secured at one end thereof to the top of the bench, as indicated at 99 and has a curved bar I00 which extends across the travel of the frames on the upper run of the belt in position, as at the start of the upper run which is at the left of said upper run, viewing Fig. 1, to enga e. the base-frames 52 for turning the frames in succession from their transverse positions to their longitudinal positions.

In the event that the frames are displaced somewhat from their longitudinal positions, during their travel on the upper run of the belt, said frames are accurately positioned longitudinally of the belt before said frames reach the frame-turning member 90. For this purpose, the correcting means I02 is provided in position to engage the base-frames 52 in succession to position the frames in correct relation to member 99 whereby the end of rod 96 is disposed in correct position in relation to part 94 of member 90. Positioning means I02 comprises a bar secured to the top of the bench I0 as indicated at I04 and has a part I06 which engages the edges of the frame-bases 52 in succession just before the frames travel to the point of bench ID at which they are turned to their transverse positions,

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that the latter may be embodied in various other ways and without necessarily includingall of the features of the invention, and that various changes in the details of construction and in the arrangement of parts may be made without departingfrom the underlying idea or principles of the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l. In apparatus of the designated character having an endless conveyor having upper and lower runs, a plurality of open frames carried by said conveyor in spaced relation thereon, each of said frames comprising laterally spaced vertical members having an open space therebetween and positioned to engage a garment placed on the frameand to hold the garment in spread condiframes about their respectiye axes from saidlast mentioned positions thereof to said first nf en tioned position thereof in which each frame is disposed before reaching thelower run of saidconveyor, said conveyor beingan endlessbeltand each of said frames being pivotally mounted on said belt and extending outwardly therefrom.

2. In apparatus of the designated character having anendless conveyor having upper and lower runs, a plurality of open frames carried by said conveyor in spaced relation thereon, each of said frames comprising laterally spaced vertical members having an open space therebetween and positioned to engage a garment placed on the frame and to hold the garment in spread condition across said open space, said frames being mounted on said conveyor for turning about the vertical axis of said frames, respectively, means disposed at the upper run of said conveyor near the receiving end thereof and engageable with said frames for turning them about said axes, respectively, thereof from position in which said frames are disposed transversely of said run to positions in which said frames are disposed longitudinally of said run, and means engageable intermittently by said frames in timed relation to the movement of said conveyor for turning said frames about their respective axis from said last mentioned positions thereof to said first mentioned positions thereof in which each frame is disposed before reaching said delivery point of the conveyor, the two frame-turning means being disposed at opposite sides of the vertical axis of said frames, said conveyor being an endless belt and each of said frames being pivotally mounted on said belt and extending outwardly therefrom.

3. In apparatus of the designated character having an endless belt conveyor, a plurality of laterally adjustable open frames carried by said conveyor in spaced relation thereon, each of said frames comprising laterally spaced vertical members having an open space therebetween and positioned to engage a garment placed on the frame and to hold the garment in laterally distended condition across said open space, each of said frames having a base which is secured to and overlies said belt, and means for securing said vertical frame members to said base for relative adjusting movement of said frame members toward and away from each other on said base, said base having a pivotal movement in relation to said belt about a vertical axis whereby to provide for the turning of the companion frame.

4. In apparatus of the designated character having an endless conveyor, a plurality of laterally adjustable open frames carried by said conveyor in spaced relation thereon, each of said frames comprising laterally spaced vertical members having an open space therebetween and positioned to engage a garment placed on the frame and to hold the garment in laterally distended condition across said open space, vertical members disposed between said first-mentioned vertical members in 6. spaced relation thereto, adjustable cross members extending between said first-mentioned vertical membersand adjacent one of said other vertical members, respectively, at the upper ends thereof and forming. the top of the frame, and means for adjustably'securing the lower ends of said firstm'e'ntioned. vertical members for adjusting. the

space therebetween, said last mentioned means comprising ajlower cross member having slots in Which.;said.lower ends of said first mentioned members are positioned and fastening means releasably engageable with said lower ends and said lower cross members, and means including pivot pins connecting said lower cross members, re-' spectively, to said conveyor, said frames turnable about said pivot pins respectively.

-5. In apparatus of the designated character having an endless conveyor, a plurality of open. frames carried by saidconveyor in spaced relation thereon, each of said frames comprising laterally spaced vertical members having an open space therebetween and positioned to engage a garment placed on the frame and to hold the garment in laterally distended condition across said open space, vertical members disposed between said first-mentioned vertical members in spaced relation thereto, adjustable cross members extending between said first-mentioned vertical members and adjacent ones of said other vertical members, respectively, at the upper ends thereof and forming the top of the frame, and means for adjustably securing the lower ends of said firstmentioned vertical members for adjusting the space therebetween, each of said cross members comprising a tubular part extending laterally from one of said other vertical members toward an adjacent one of said first-mentioned vertical members and the latter having a laterally extending part which is slidably engaged in said tubular part.

6. In apparatus of the designated character having an endless conveyor, a plurality of open frames carried by said conveyor in spaced relation thereon, each of said frames comprising laterally spaced vertical members having an open space therebetween and positioned to engage a garment placed on the frame and to hold the garment in laterally distended condition across said open space, vertical members disposed between said first-mentioned vertical members in spaced relation thereto, adjustable cross members extending between said first-mentioned vertical members and adjacent ones of said other vertical members, respectively, at the upper ends thereof and forming the top of the frame, and means for adjustably securing the lower ends of said first-mentioned vertical members for adjusting the space therebetween, each of said cross members comprising a tubular part extending laterally from one of said other vertical members toward an adjacent one of said first-mentioned vertical members and the latter having a laterally extending part which is slidably engaged in said tubular part, a cross member at the bottom of the frame, said bottom cross member having a pair of longitudinal slots, and means for adjustably securing the lower ends of said first-mentioned vertical members in said slots, respectively, to provide for the adjustment of the width of the frame.

7. In apparatus of the designated character having an endless conveyor having upper and lower runs, a plurality of open frames carried by said conveyor in spaced relation thereon, each of said frames comprising laterally spaced vertical members having an open space therebetween and positioned to engage a garment placed on the frame and to hold the garment in spread condition across said open space, said frames bei mounted on said conveyor for turning about the vertical axi of said frames, respectively, means disposed at the upper run of said conveyor near the receiving end thereof and engageable with said frames for turning them about said axes, respectively, thereof from positions in which said frames are disposed transversely of saidrun to positions in which said frames are disposed longitu'dinally of said run, and means engageable intermittently by said frames in timed relation to the movement of said conveyor for turning said frames about their respective axis from said last mentioned positions thereof to said first mentioned positions thereof in which each frame is disposed before reaching the delivery point of the conveyor, said two frame-turning means being 8 disposed at opposite sides of the vertical axes of said frames, and means disposed between said two frame turning mean for accurately positioning said frames before reaching the second of said frame turning means.

BEN HANDLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,623,080 Ziock Apr. 5, 1927 2,072,009 Moore Feb. 23, 1937 2,076,736 Lewis Apr. 13, 1937 2,359,464 Carothers et a1. Oct. 3, 1944 2,435,482 Vigerust et al Feb. 3, 1948 

